after 10.12.4 update .... cooling fans more noticeable

Question

Level 3

816 points

after 10.12.4 update .... cooling fans more noticeable

i've got a late 2013 mbp retina 15" 2 GHz model (without dedicated GPU), after updating to 10.12.4 last night, i noticed when my screensaver comes on (one of those savers with changing graphics/hexs/ribbons/etc) - that my fans start running fast.

after turning off the screensaver to get back into the os, fans spin back down to quiet.

i changed my screensaver to the 'message' one and it's now quiet when the screensaver comes on.

i'd like to learn more about why it's doing that, whether there is a new setting in 10.12.4 to tweak or something else has been changed ?

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013), macOS Sierra (10.12.3), Windows 10

Posted on Mar 29, 2017 9:07 AM

Reply

Answer 1

cdhw

Level 4

3,594 points

Apr 8, 2017 10:28 AM in response to zero7404

IMO there is zero chance that any deliberate change would cause such behaviour; energy conservation (or rather battery life) is very high up the priority list for Apple as it provides a compelling selling-point for its portables.

I have seen several reports of people experiencing the same issue you describe (with arabesque, since 10.12.4) so my guess is that a bug has been introduced into arabesque recently, or it has manifest itself as a result of changes in 10.12.4. For example, here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/63s60w/has_anyone_had_an_issue_with_the_ arabesque_screen/

You can leave feedback for Apple here:

https://www.apple.com/feedback/

or, if you have the time to complete more details, a bug report here:

https://bugreport.apple.com/

My advice, obviously, is to disable the screensaver and let the machine get some sleep.

C.

Reply

Answer 2

Apr 7, 2017 9:13 AM in response to zero7404

I have noticed the same thing with my MBP 15" late 2013. The device gets really hot while the screensaver is on and the device is connected to the power supply. This started after I did upgrade my MBP to macOS 10.12.4 -- and this has been going nearly two weeks now.

Reply

Answer 3

zero7404 Author

Level 3

816 points

Apr 7, 2017 9:30 AM in response to Teemu Kuronen

seems like something changed between 10.12.3 and 10.12.4 obviously ....

ill write apple about it to alert them of this, in the meantime ive switched to a less taxing ss since i leave it on unattended for a while at times ....

Reply

Answer 4

zero7404 Author

Level 3

816 points

Apr 7, 2017 6:22 PM in response to zero7404

got in touch with apple, they suggested:

reset SMC (done)

reset NVRAM (done)

hardware test (done)

start in safe mode (done)

the issue still occurs and i don't have a hardware problem.

although i was not able to confirm that the SMC reset properly because the light on the magsafe plug did not blink, i performed the procedure 3 times for good measure.

Reply

Answer 5

Apr 8, 2017 4:52 AM in response to zero7404

I did reset both SMC and NVRAM successfully -- and checked my hardware with the hardware test; there wasn't any issues with the hardware either. The issue with the fans/heat is still occurring when the screensaver comes on. I also use the Arabesque as my computer's screensaver.

I got an idea and changed the screensaver - surprisingly that seems to work for me. I haven't yet noticed that the fans would spin too loudly when the screensaver is on. So it would seem that the Arabesque screensaver is the cause to this fan issue?

Reply

Answer 6

zero7404 Author

Level 3

816 points

Apr 8, 2017 6:50 AM in response to cdhw

completely agree with you, and i do not mind turning the screen saver off completely - just set the display to turn off instead.

if the issue explained did not occur in the past with 10.12.3, but occurs now with 10.12.4 using the same hardware - there is a small risk there might be a bug, or the change was intentional. idk. just hope that this is not a bug that can cause my computer to ramp up while i'm not around and start cooking .....

Reply

Answer 7

zero7404 Author

Level 3

816 points

Apr 7, 2017 7:44 PM in response to zero7404

arabesque is the screen saver used

Reply

Answer 8

cdhw

Level 4

3,594 points

Apr 8, 2017 6:42 AM in response to Teemu Kuronen

Screensavers were a good idea for a rather short period in the history of computers. These days if your computer is not doing something useful it should go to sleep not waste resources.

C.

Reply